The present invention generally concerns storage compartment assemblies or units for storing articles in cooling equipment such as refrigerators. In a particular aspect, the present invention concerns, for example, temperature-controlled storage compartment assemblies for storing articles in compartments such as fresh food compartments of household refrigerators including so-called bottom-mount refrigerators in which the fresh food compartments, which can be provided with double doors, are located on top of the refrigerators' freezer compartments.
Storage compartment assemblies for cooling equipment can be located within, and selectively operated at least somewhat independently of, larger compartments of the cooling equipment in which the storage compartment assemblies are located. For example, storage compartment assemblies for separately chilling liquids can be located within the freezer compartments and fresh food compartments of household refrigerators. Also, storage compartment assemblies that function and are configured to control the moisture and/or oxygen levels within storage containers that are included in the assemblies, or control the temperatures within the storage containers, for example, can be located within the fresh food compartments of refrigerators. In this latter respect, the storage compartment assemblies can, for example, be configured and function to quickly cool or thaw articles placed within the storage containers included in the storage compartment assemblies.
The types of refrigerators in which storage compartment assemblies as described in the immediately preceding paragraph can be provided include, for example: side-by-side refrigerators, in which the fresh food and freezer compartments are arranged side-by-side; bottom-mount refrigerators in which the freezer compartments are located beneath the fresh food compartments; and top-mount refrigerators in which the fresh food compartments are located beneath the freezer compartments. The storage compartment assemblies can be located in the fresh food compartments as well as in the freezer compartments. In addition, the storage compartment assemblies can be configured to comprise units that are installed in the refrigerators separate from the fresh food and freezer compartments either alone or along with other kinds of special-purpose storage compartments.